LONDON: Malaysia plans to turn Fraser’s Hill into the Little England of the East as part of its move to develop the country’s parks and gardens as tourism products.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said private and kampung gardens could be beautifully landscaped and showcased to the world.

She said kampung-style landscaping could be created and turned into hibiscus, bunga melur or cempaka gardens to attract visitors.

Dr Ng said the Chelsea Flower Show could be brought to the Malaysia Floral Fest that could be turned into a permanent garden tourism product.

“We don’t need to spend mega bucks but go down to our roots to landscape our kampungs, little gardens and parks,” she told Malaysian journalists after speaking at the Malaysia, Truly Asia travel trade seminar on Wednesday.

Dr Ng said she visited the Chelsea Flower Show, Kew Gardens and Hampton Court to learn from the British how they could develop such beautiful gardens.

She said the lessons learnt would be useful to landscape Malaysia’s gardens and parks, especially Fraser’s Hill, as tourism products.

The ministry, she said, planned to landscape the hill resort with temperate flowers such as irises, dahlias and lavenders.

“We want to develop Fraser’s Hill into the most beautiful Little England of the East.

“We will have to change the mindset of owners of private gardens to open them up to visitors,” she said, adding that the short-term plan was to further develop the existing parks like Lake Gardens, Hibiscus Gardens and Orchid Gardens.

Earlier, Dr Ng said the ministry hoped to attract at least 10,000 Britons to take part in the Malaysia, My Second Home Programme.

So far, a total of 1,551 Britons have signed up for the programme, a far cry from the hundreds of thousands who have second homes in Spain, France, Portugal and Florida.

She said the ministry would look into requests by the programme’s participants to bring their personal effects, wine cellars and even old and classic cars to Malaysia.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/5/22/nation/3956519&sec=nation

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